Durga Puja Dashami / Dussehra Menu from my kitchen

Dear Readers,

On the auspicious occasion of Dussehra / Durga Puja Dashami I convey best wishes for you and your family

May this day clear all the hurdles of your life and start a new era of happiness.

 

On the last day of Durga Puja here is a menu of traditional Bengali recipes from this blog

Bengali Peyaji / Peyaj ki Pakoda / Onion fritters

Bengali Ghugni - Dried yellow peas curry

Bhuni Khichuri / Bhuna Khichdi - Bengali style flavoured rice and Lentil preparation

 

Nalen (Khejur) Gurer Payes - Bengali Style Pudding with Date Palm Jaggery

 

 Please do not forget to let me know how do you like/dislike these Puja menus of last four days.

Durga Puja Nabami Menu from my blog

Dear Readers,

May the divine blessings of the Goddess be with you on Maha Nabami and always.

Happy Durga Puja!

 

In Nabami we eat non-veg items and my menu for Nabami contains few Non-Veg items. Hope you like this and try to cook some of them.

Masoor Daler Bora - Lentill Fritters

Aloo Phulkopir dalna (Potato Cauliflower Curry)

Bhoger khichuri - a special Durga Puja khichdi

Kasha Murgir Mangsho - Chicken curry with thick gravy

Bhapa Chingri - Steamed prawn in mustard sauce

Kalakand - Indian milky fudge

 

Please do not forget to comment how you liked / disliked the menu.

Ashtami r Menu from my kitchen - prepare and enjoy

Dear Readers,

May the divine blessings of the Goddess be with you on Maha Ashtami and always. Happy Durga Puja.

There are so many things we eat round the year like Sandwitch, Juices, Burger, Paratha, Pasta etc. but to my mind one of the best Bengali authentic food is Luchi, Cholar dal or Aloo Dum. In this light, my menu for Mahashtami is as follows:-

http://baisalichef.blogspot.in/2017/09/how-to-make-perfect-whole-wheat-poori.html 

http://baisalichef.blogspot.in/2016/09/beguni-baingan-pakora-bengali-eggplant.html

http://baisalichef.blogspot.in/2015/10/cholar-dal-durga-puja-special.html

 http://baisalichef.blogspot.in/2016/06/kumro-ghonto-pumpkin-potato-medley.html

http://baisalichef.blogspot.in/2016/01/nalen-khejur-gurer-payes-bengali-style.html

Please feel free to comment on this menu 

How to make perfect whole wheat Poori / Puri / Luchi

Bengali Luchi or North Indian Poori / Puri is most common breakfast for an Indian household. It is even prepared in festival time like Navaratri etc. Though simple and common but making a perfect Poori / Luchi is an art by itself. The success is measured by how much round shaped each one becomes and how much puffed it is. However I am not trying to complicate things here. So let's start our journey into making Perfect Poori. I did not use all purpose flour for healthy reason. Instead we will use whole wheat flour or atta. Also we can use Ghee instead of oil used. It would be more tasty but again it is less healthy So we will use sunflower or any vegetable oil.

Preparation Time: - 20 min

Cooking Time: - 20~25 min

Servings: - 4~6 persons (varies from person to person)

Ingredients:- 

1. 2 ½ cup ( 375 gm. Approx. ) whole wheat flour
2. 1 tsp Salt
3. Water as required to make a smooth dough
4. 1 ¼ tsp vegetable oil to make the dough 
5. Sufficient oil to submerge one full Poori in your chosen kadai or wok or frying pan

Preparation:-

1. Take the flour in a bowl and mix with salt and oil
2. Add water little by little and knead into a smooth dough. The dough is the main thing – so to make smooth dough you may need to adjust the water level. Please remember we need a tougher dough for Poori compared to that of Roti.
3. Cover the dough with wet cloth and keep aside for 15~30 minutes.
4. Rub a little oil to grease each of your palm.  
5. Now divide the dough into two parts – each part should make 15 Luchi / Puris. 
6. Roll lengthwise in with the help of your palm and finger - divide each part equally into 15 small balls. Roll each piece between your palms to form a perfect sphere and then flatten a little.
7.  Pour a tiny drop of oil to each ball and roll out with the roller to form an uniform circle. Please remember you need to roll out from the edges but not from the center. 
8. Heat oil in a non-sticky deep bottom wok / kadai. The oil needs to be sufficient to submerge one full Puri in puffed condition.
9. Now put the Pooris in the oil one by one. Press them little a bit with the ladle to force them to go inside the oil so that they can soak the oil and get puffed.If the dough making was good then they will puff immediately.
10. Now flip it for the other side to get fried. When both the sides become golden brownish the Poori is ready. Fry the other pooris one by one.

E    Enjoy the pooris with some curry or pudding.

As always please feel free to comment, criticize and seek if any help is required. I am all ears.

Menu for Saptami - Cook and enjoy Navaratri / Durga Puja

Dear Readers,

May the divine blessings of the Goddess be with you on Saptami and always. Happy Navaratri / Durga Puja.

 You may try my menu for Saptami - All recipes are from my blog only

http://baisalichef.blogspot.in/2015/10/begun-bhaja-brinjal-fry-healthy-style.html

http://baisalichef.blogspot.in/2016/02/peas-pulao-with-bengali-touch-pure-veg.html

https://baisalichef.blogspot.in/2016/06/doi-potol-dahi-parwal-bengali-pure.html

https://baisalichef.blogspot.in/2017/09/bhapa-ilish-bengali-style-steamed-hilsa.html

 

http://baisalichef.blogspot.in/2016/04/rasgulla-rosogolla-bengali-syrupy.html  

 Hope you all enjoy making the above recipes. Please let me know your feedback

Bhapa Ilish - Bengali style steamed Hilsa with mustard sauce and yogurt

Bhapa Ilish or Steamed Hilsa curry is a traditional Bengali recipe of cooking fish which is very healthy and gives an excellent smell. It is very simple - need very less ingredients and very less time to cook this dish. Traditionally it used to be cooked wrapped up in banana leaves and cooked inside the hot rice. Now-a-days pressure cooker takes care for the same preparation.

Preparation Time: - 15 min

Cooking Time: - 10~12 min (It all depends upon the way you steam the mixture. You can  cook in a steel bowl in a big pressure cooker or as I did in a small pressure cooker. Time will be different in each of them)

Servings: - 2~3 persons (varies from person to person)

Ingredients:- 

1. 5 pieces of Ilish / Hilsa fishes. Approximate weight will be 250 gm.
2. 3 tbsp Sour curd
3. 3 tbsp Freshly grated coconut ( I used coconut powder but it is better to use fresh one for great taste)
4. 2 tsp Turmeric powder
5. 5 tbsp Mustard seeds to make paste
6. 1 ½ tbsp Poppy Seeds / Khuskhus
7. 3 nos green chilli whole ( you can use more according to your taste)
8. 1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
9. 4 tbsp Mustard oil (since this is one authentic Bengali recipe mustard oil is preferable but you can use any vegetable oil if you do not like the pungent smell of the mustard oil)
10. Salt to taste

Preparation:-

1. Wash the fish, drain and then marinate it with a little salt and 1 tsp turmeric powder. Keep aside for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile soak the mustard seeds in warm water for about 15 minutes. After 15 min grind to make a smooth paste. You can grind a green chili along with mustard seeds to make it spicier.
3. Grind the poppy seeds to a smooth paste separately and keep aside.
4. Take a small pressure cooker. You can use a steel container in bigger pressure cooker. I used a 2L pressure cooker and put the marinated fish pieces and cover them with the mustard seed paste, poppy seeds paste, freshly grated coconut, sour curd, Kashmiri chili powder, 2 green chilies, and 1 tsp turmeric powder.
5. Mix everything. Add 3 tbsp. mustard oil from top. Pour slightly less than ½ cup of water.
6. Close the pressure cooker or put it in pressure cooker if you are using container.
7. Pour sufficient water in the cooker so that only one-third of the container is submerged. In my case I already pour the water in the cooker.
8. Close the pressure cooker and put it on the burner. Wait for 2 whistle. It all depends upon the pressure cooker you are using.
9. Put off the flame and wait for some time.
10. Take it out and sprinkle 1 tbsp. mustard oil if you like the smell of raw mustard oil. You may use another green chili for garnishing.
    

 Serve this as side dish with hot steamed rice.

As always please feel free to comment, criticize and seek if any help is required. I am all ears.